Ohio House Dems want turnpike pledges in writing

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House Democrats said today that key public promises made by Gov. John Kasich are absent from a bill authorizing the sale of $1.5 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds to fund state highway projects, and they are taking steps to get them in writing.

The lawmakers said a bill released last week excluded a guarantee to keep 90 percent of the bond deal’s proceeds in northern Ohio. The legislation also failed to mention Kasich’s pledge to freeze toll rates for a decade for motorists making trips of 30 miles or less on the 241-mile toll road, which cuts across northern Ohio.

Democratic members of the budget-writing House Finance Committee said they have introduced amendments to place both provisions in the bill, for fear the administration could back out of the commitments otherwise.